I'll Always Find You
by xjazzxhottyx
Summary: The war is over between the humans and aliens, but has the fight for Leila's life ended as well? No pregnancy and no transportation of Earth.
1. Chapter 1

"Sean?...Sean!" My head snapped up. I had been lost in my own thoughts for a while. It seemed like days could have gone by without my noticing. Blake Sterling was crouching next to the unbelievably uncomfortable chair I had collapsed into at the news of the stand off between us humans and Sophia's people. His eyes looked concerned for a moment and then changed to…hope?

"It's over. It's done. She's given up and been taken away. I don't know what will happen to her but she doesn't have enough support anymore to keep up her resources." I knew part of that already. This war between us and the aliens has been going on for two long weeks since I had convinced Sophia to stop the spread of the deadly virus. Since then, more and more of the others had come over to our side preferring the death of themselves and their people rather than the genocide plan in Sophia's head. Of course, I and a few others knew personally that President Martinez had plans not to kill those who came over to our side. Less could be said for Sophia's fate. This loss of power on Sophia's side only fueled her anger leading to an all out war between the two species. The sides had been evenly matched, Sophia with her technology and us with our numbers, until today. Sterling's words sunk in as her repeated them again, the concern returning to his eyes. I had misjudged his conscience. He wasn't as concerned for our survival as for how I was handling the news. "It's over."

"Over." I repeated back. I tasted the word on my lips as my mind cleared and it became harder to believe the truth. "I don't believe it. There has got to be another way she can get to us. Someone else who has their full confidence in her notions and is still willing to help her. Someone with power." I rambled over my thoughts. Sterling sighed.

"It's very possible. We don't know what resources there still are on other planets or even on Earth. We're hoping for the outsiders that joined our side are willing to talk to us. Our guards aren't down, however, until everything has been checked out." That did make sense to me. I knew personally my guard wouldn't be let down for a long while. Possibly not ever again as these series of events have permanently changed my life.

"What is the status of the situation at this moment?" Did we have to wait longer for more confirmation? I glanced at my watch noting that it was 9 PM. We had begun the standoff almost twenty hours ago…

"As of right now, all is clear. There is no immediate threat from Sophia or anyone on her side." As soon as I heard the word "clear" I jumped up from my seat and began making my way to the exit of the warehouse we had taken over from the aliens as soon as the war had begun. It was one of our greater victories because of all of the information that came with the building. The information had been the main factor in overtaking our enemies. Almost subconsciously, I noticed Vicky stand up from her chair from across the room and begin making her way towards Sterling and I. She had become my partner in a way and we understood each other. I briefly compared us to private investigators one time to which she rolled her eyes. She had more experience than all of the private investigators in the D.C. area combined. My lack of knowledge and skills in that area, although made up with my technological skills, evened us out a little with the investigators. She caught up to us quickly, no readable expression on her face, even though I knew that didn't mean she didn't feel anything about the current situation.

"Where are you going?" Her voice was tired. Maybe of the war, or maybe of my actions, I wasn't quite sure. I didn't have to consciously think about her question. My answers were automatic these days.

"To Leila." I said simply. Saying her name felt like pulling my chest open and exposing my heart. I silently cursed myself for letting my mind wander enough to stop thinking of the girl I love for more than five minutes.

Vicky nodded. Like I said, she understood me. There was even a significant chance that she would follow me to the hospital.

"Sean." Sterling's voice broke me out of my thoughts again. "I don't want to disappoint you. But just keep in mind. We've been on lockdown for the past 14 days and you don't know what you will find when you arrive at the hospital. No one knows what the virus does to hybrids." I felt my anger rise at that word. The word that both separated me and brought me closer to Leila. It was the secret that her father kept from her, her whole life. It meant she wasn't exactly alien, but she wasn't human either.

"Sterling. I know. As of the last time I saw her, I was the only one who believed she would make it. Even she gave up on herself. The last thing I would ever do is not go back to her. Even if she is worse, she needs to know that I still have hope." Hope was growing all around us thanks to this victory. Surely there was more to be had?

"You still believe that she has a chance?" It wasn't an accusation from him but rather confirming my thoughts.

"Yes. Of course I do. She's the strongest person I know." With that I opened the heavy metal door separating us from the outside world and stepped forward, squinting in the light of day.


	2. Chapter 2

It took me a full minute for my eyes to adjust to the light that I hadn't seen in a long while. To someone who didn't know better, my surroundings would appear as normal. I knew about the war between us and Sophia, so I knew that the silence of a normally busy street, the darkness of the windows of the buildings I was stepping out of, empty shells of gun shots glistening as I walked by. This city was still standing, but it was definitely a war zone.

Vicky walked next to me keeping her eyes peeled and reminding me that I wasn't comfortable enough to put my shield down just yet. To my surprise, Sterling and two other men who I recognized but did not know the names of walked out of the warehouse and joined us as well. It was almost comical, despite the actual situation, how we looked as we moved forward to a car that Sterling found to his liking. I wasn't sure if he picked it because of how the dark tinted windows gave us cover, or if he liked the model of the car. Vicky started the engine by hotwiring it but allowed me to drive. I was grateful for that because I knew I would start to lose my mind if someone else drove and decided to follow the speed limit. The drive to the hospital would take less than ten minutes and the entire time I prayed I wasn't too late to see Leila alive again.

The entire drive I entertained my mind by planning Leila and I's next step after she left the hospital. I thought back to the conversation we had a few weeks ago when I finally found her, caged behind those plastic walls. I had come so far to find her to be blocked by a thin sheet! That was when she started to give up on herself. I could see it in her eyes before she even said anything. She was convinced she was going to die so I distracted her by talking about our future together. Just like what I'm doing now to myself. We need to get far away from here as a start. I know Leila will want to find Samantha first, I just hope she has some sort of information of where she could be. Then we'll travel to the other side of the country and find a nice little house with a porch and a yard. I'll make a garden for her too. She's wanted a dog her whole life but since she knows I'm allergic she'll never let me get her one. And then we'll fight about it because we both can't stand to see the other one unhappy or lacking something. Leila will figure out that if she turns on her charm and her smile, I'm a goner and that will be the end of the fight. I need to see her smile again…

"Sean!" Vicky's voice cut into my thoughts. "You missed the entrance for the hospital! Turn around!" I refocused and the pit of dread that had disappeared the whole time I had been thinking had returned. I found the correct entrance, parking the car in a rushed way finding is unimportant right now. Sterling and the other two men chose to stay in the car making sure I knew what his cell phone number was in case of an emergency. Vicky came with me and we both jogged through the front entrance of the hospital.

I didn't recognize the receptionist at the front desk of the hospital, but she knew right away which floor Leila's room was located. It wasn't until I reached the correct floor that I realized there probably weren't very many patients that needed complete isolation because of their sickness. My heart dropped. Did that mean Leila was in the same condition as before? Or worse?

There was another main desk that every visitor had to sign into so they could be allowed access to more specific parts of the hospital floor. The line for that desk was eight people long and I didn't have the patience for it. We slipped down the hallway and searched until we recognized the waiting room that the two of us had been in two weeks earlier. It led to the isolation room and testing lab.

"Sean, I'll wait here. Let me know how she is." Vicky said as she dropped into one of the chairs in the empty room.

"Okay, thanks." I almost whispered. My voice suddenly disappeared from me. I hoped to run into one of the doctors that had been in charge of Leila before but every person walking by I didn't quite recognize. I pushed through the multiple doors as my breath sped up and my heart thudded against my ribs. Pushing through the last door, my heart stopped beating and my breath was no where to be found. I blinked about five times fast hoping my eyes were wrong, but they weren't. In Leila's room where she had been close to death because of this virus, was an empty bed, and nothing else.


	3. Chapter 3

I felt dizzy, my lack of oxygen taking a toll on my brain. Someone opened the door behind me followed by a voice.

"Hey! Who are you? You're not allowed…Sean!" the doctor gasped. Still not breathing, I felt a hand on my shoulder turning me around. I recognized the primary doctor for Leila, Achres was her name, her eyes kind and a little confused.

"What are you doing here Sean?" Her voice was calm now, sensing I was still shocked at the situation. I quickly found my voice. She would be the only one with the most answers for me.

"What happened to her?" I asked back, my voice a whisper again. "Where's Leila?" As much as I wanted to hear the answer, I didn't want to hear the answer at all.

"She was moved. She's not contagious anymore. We've solved that mystery of the virus. She's still on this floor but on the other end. She's still sick but better." She was definitely experienced at telling people what they wanted to know as fast as she could. A small smile crept to her lips and spread to mine.

"Let's go" was all I could say. Vicky joined us as we met her in the waiting room and my steps echoed loudly down the hallway. I didn't know exactly where I was going but I was leading the three of us there. Doctor Achres began giving me directions when I became too eager and started breaking out into a run. I didn't care that I was being too loud. I didn't care that it was late and I was most likely waking people up. Franticly searching each door for any sign of her, I stopped in front of the fourth door from the end on the right side of the hallway and I knew it was her room. The door was closed and I was close to turning the handle before Doctor Achres' hand was on mine.

"Sean, let me give you a quick rundown. She isn't contagious like I said, but she is still very weak and tired. She sleeps mostly all day. She desperately needs to gain weight and tests are still being done. We're not sure if we will be able to ever relieve all of her symptoms, but unless something goes extremely wrong, we're confident that she is stable enough to survive and live a full life. The last thing, she's been too tired to do any memory or thinking tests so she might not remember certain pieces of information, but we're not sure yet. We don't know if this virus has hurt her brain. Just keep that in mind if you think something is off, okay?" The entire time I had my eyes glued to the doorknob soaking in the information that was leaving her mouth. Survive and full life? Perfect, more than I could have ever thought I would have with her. Tired, underweight, and weak? I would just make sure to take care of her the best that I possibly could. Memory loss? All I needed was for her to know who I was and I could get her through the rest. Achres let go of my hand and I finally pushed through the door.

The room was dark and cool. My eyes found her on the bed and my feet walked me over to it. She was definitely asleep and I hesitated, debating whether or not I should wake her up.

"She missed you just as much as you missed her." Achres told me. That confirmed my answer and I gently shook her shoulder. It was like electricity powered through my arm and reached the rest of my body. Even though I saw her two weeks ago, it has been months since I had been able to physically touch her. It reminded me that I wasn't going to let her go for a long time.

She was usually a light sleeper but I assumed she had many drugs in her system so it took a few attempts to get her to wake up. I put my left arm around her waist and helped her roll over to face the side I was kneeling by.

"Leila, Leila wake up. I'm here now. I came back to you." My voice almost cracked. Her eyes opened first but before she could really focus them she was sitting up and throwing her arms around my neck. Her skin felt hot against mine though not quite the burning I thought it would be. I hugged her back gently, not wanting to put her in more pain while she was almost choking me with the grip her arms held on my neck.

"Sean!" her voice croaked and I felt her tears flowing. Hearing her say my name made me feel lighter as I knew she didn't forget me. I was close to crying myself. No one else on Earth has ever made me so emotional. I began kissing her hair, her temple, her forehead, finally, her lips. I had thought the electricity I felt from touching her arm was strong, but nothing compared to kissing her. It felt like I hadn't done it in a year. Like I hadn't ever done it enough.

"I'm not contagious anymore!" She spoke into my lips, stating the obvious. I laughed lightly. I don't remember the last time I had laughed. Was it the cruise?

"I sure hope you aren't. Actually, I wouldn't care anymore. I can't be away from you anymore." I confessed to her. Her smile, the thing I was waiting for the most, lit up the dark room in the blink of an eye. That was the point when I couldn't hold my tears in anymore. I didn't care if she would make fun of me for the rest of our lives about this moment. I hadn't felt this whole in a long time.

My hands started roaming to the rest of her body, half of my mind in paradise, the other half checking for myself to make sure she was really there and whole herself. The thought about not letting my guard down ran through my mind but I didn't want to ruin the moment.

"You would say something like that." She said, breaking the silence. "Part of me was afraid of you coming back too early, when I was still contagious. Or that you would sit here and wait with me and before the two weeks were up, we wouldn't be able to handle seeing each other but not being close enough to touch each other. I can see you taking drastic actions to break into the airborne disease enclosure." Her smile stayed on her face and I knew she was trying to make me feel comfortable. To show that she really was getting better enough to be able to joke around.

"I love you. So very, very much." That was all I could say at the moment. "And I probably would do something like that. But being away from you drives me even crazier. You should have seen me running down this hallway like a maniac. I didn't even know which room you were in." I said this as I sat down on her bed, carefully avoiding all of the tubes she was still connected to. I pulled her close to me and breathed in deeply smelling her hair. Her hair was perfect, along with her face, and smile, and neck, and…

"You can't possibly think I smell good right now." Her tone was a mix of playful and incredulity. "I don't think I've showered for three weeks." I didn't care and I told her just that. I squeezed her tighter against me still needing the reassurance that she wasn't going to disappear before my eyes. That I wasn't still sitting in an uncomfortable chair waiting for the stand off to end. Leila was patient with me, understanding how I felt. It was close to how a child feels when they find their lost toy. Our reunion was just as innocent but way more passionate and heartfelt. All I wanted was to scoop her up, take her home, and begin our life together again. We had been given a redo, a starting over, a new beginning.

I then thought about reality. Leila was still sick. I was positive that as soon as the sweetness of our reunion wore off she would come back to reality and feel her symptoms again. Sam was still off somewhere and no doubt not far from Leila's mind. We didn't know what the aliens were going to do next. I thought to tell her about the victory.

"Leila, we brought down…Leila?" She was already fast asleep, and I was sure she was exhausted, even from our short reunion. I settled in to make myself comfortable. Everyone else who was waiting to see her could wait until morning. The story could wait until then also. For now, I just wanted to hold her forever.


	4. Chapter 4

I had all intentions of staying awake that night to monitor Leila's health and keep an eye out for any possible threats that kept part of my attention at all times. My plan however, lasted for maybe an hour before I drifted off to sleep still keeping my firm hold on her. I attributed it to the fact that my mind was finally put at ease. The biggest problem in my world had been lifted from me but had also lifted my energized façade as well. I was exhausted.

The morning came quickly. I was woken by a sharp beeping noise coming from the opposite end of the bed from where my head was. Rolling over I spotted Leila sitting up in bed on her one elbow while her other hand was pressing the red nurse button on the remote attached to her bed.

"Hey, Leila. Good morning." I reached over to pull her hair aside to see her and I saw the streaks from tears running down her beautiful face ending at the point of her chin. My chest began to hurt as I realized she was calling for more pain medications. Reality had struck as predicted. The nurse came in quickly, knowing the situation better than I, giving Leila a shot into the IV bag hanging above her head. The whole time I sat silently watching. Leila didn't like to show her pain and weakness, even to me. She was confident but also would rather do things for the sake of others rather than herself. Her lack of speaking alerted me that she was holding it in so I wouldn't be scared of her condition. The nurse left quickly, probably making her morning rounds. As soon as the door closed again Leila leaned back into the bed and closed her eyes. A clammy sheen was now present on her face and it reminded me of the way I found her a few weeks ago in the plastic cage that Sophia put her in.

She was taking deep breaths now, focusing on the medicine probably. If I didn't know her well, I would try to talk to her, pull her close and hug her to try to make her comfortable. When Leila was in pain, the few unfortunate times I had seen it happen, it did her better to stay silently by her side, maybe just touching her arm to let her know I was still with her. I did just that as the moments ticked by. I found myself wondering how fast the medicine took to her system.

After about ten minutes had passed, I glanced at the clock on the bedside table noting that it was 7:30 am. I wasn't sure if when she was comfortable again that she would want to go back to sleep, or maybe talk? I was giving her arm goose bumps from the light touches of my fingertips. With the slight turn of her head, even though her eyes were still closed, I knew the pain was gone or at least subdued. It was confirmed when she spoke to me not a minute later.

"It's crazy how well you know me Sean. I don't have to say anything to you about how I feel because you can just read my face and instantly know." Her voice was childlike. The pain medication was most likely very strong. Or was it the virus?

"You know me just as well." I tried to convince her. It was true too. She knew what bothered me, made me happy or uncomfortable, what I was thinking at times. She was shaking her head.

"I try to. But, I don't know, maybe it's just how you are as a person, but I feel like you're a part of me. Not just my life, but of actually _me_. It amazes me all the time." Both of her hands found one of mine on the bed and she looked down, playing with my fingers.

"I wonder why you don't affect every single person you meet in the same way you affect me. I always want to know every single thing about you." Just as that came out of my mouth I wondered if she would think I was being cheesy. Fortunately she smiled and closed her eyes again. I guess she was choosing to fall asleep for a little longer. I didn't care as long as I was next to her, but I knew I would have to talk to her soon about everything we had missed from each other's lives.

It was close to ten o'clock in the morning when Dr. Achres came in to check on Leila for the fourth time that morning. She was waiting to ask her about her symptoms but Leila was still sleeping soundly. This worried me.

"Dr. Achres, she's never slept in this late before. Are you sure all of the machines she's connected to are working?" She glanced one more time at them due to habit but we both knew nothing was wrong.

"Sean they're working fine. Just think of how exhausting it was to go through all of these issues in the past year. Add on top of that the fact that she feels like she has the flu and it would concern me if she wasn't sleeping this much." It made sense to me when it was said out loud. "She just got you back also. It's been a long time since she's made it through the night without waking three or four times for pain medication. Last night she didn't wake up at all. You being here is helping her heal Sean. Keep that in mind also."

"Doctor, can you explain exactly what's going on with her? How does this virus work?" I needed to know what long road we were in for.

"We haven't found out all of the mysteries of it yet. But this is what we did find out. Usually when a human has a virus, it affects a couple of areas of the body. That's why there are different strains of the flu, because they all attack one specific part of the body. The virus in Leila is genetically modified to attack all parts of the body in humans quickly. They die within hours. But with Leila, it attacks all parts of her at a slower and weaker pace, probably taking up to a month to fully affect her. We found out if we can stop the virus before it affects her bloodstream, then that would be the first major step in her recovery. It also meant that she would not be contagious any longer. If the virus is in her blood, she is contagious, if it isn't in her blood, she isn't contagious. We boosted her immune system and used an experimental procedure to stop the virus from spreading. Another thing we learned was that this virus was adding upon layers in Leila's body. This meant that we cleared her blood first of the virus, than her skeletal muscles, and the rest of her system leaving her heart and brain for last. That is where we are now. The virus is still held in her heart and brain which is still risky, but our labs show that it hasn't grown in the past three days. Isolating it with no where to go means that we can kill it off more quickly."

"So what does that mean for her? What kind of pain is she in?" I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer.

"The experimental medication we're giving her is similar in toxicity to chemotherapy. It doesn't have the same results because we're not killing off cells we're just killing off the virus. She has chest and head pain because of it but so far no life threatening damage has come up. However, she is given high doses of pain medication every few hours. We're hoping to bring the amount down, and to wean her off of it, but we believe it is more important to rid her of the virus before we start that. She still has a high fever, and is weak. Her appetite has been nonexistent since she was brought in so we attribute part of her weakness to that. She is receiving nutrients and fluids through her IV. She's improving every day Sean. She's getting better. We estimate that she will have to stay in the hospital for another week before she can go home. She will need regular check-up appointments though." I nodded and looked over at Leila.

"Thank you so much. The amount of work and effort that you have put into her is amazing. I can never repay you and your team for that." It was hard to think of how I wanted to say everything these days. My mind felt like Jell-o.

"Sean it was our pleasure as well as our job. You'll see how the rest of the hospital is so fond of her. She's become very popular around here." I chuckled. It wasn't hard for me to believe that. "I'll come in another half-hour or so to check in again. We need to start running some memory tests on her to see if there is or will be any brain damage." She saw the panicked look on my face and put her hand on my shoulder. "Sean we're optimistic, but we're not getting ahead of ourselves alright?" I nodded again and she turned around and left the room.

The words "brain damage" scared me. I knew she wasn't going to be a vegetable, but how was this going to affect the rest of her life? Was she always going to struggle to remember facts, or names, or pieces of important information? Would she constantly want to sleep or at least stay in bed for most of the day? Her passions for being outside and around nature made me think that she would never allow it. Even if it would be a struggle, nothing was going to stop her from doing what she wanted to do. That was one thing I was positive about.


	5. Chapter 5

In my mind, I planned that when Leila woke up I would convince her to try to eat something. There was a tray with cereal and fruit that was left a little while ago. Of course, Leila had others plans in mind.

"Leila, even if you aren't hungry, can't you just eat a little something? Please?" I could resort to begging easily. She raised her eyebrows at me.

"I'm pretty sure I know if I'm hungry or not Sean." She was irritated this morning. "And every time I try to eat something I can't hold it down. You talked to the doctor didn't you? What did she say?"

"She told me how they started to cure you. And what your symptoms are and what the next step is." I tried to leave out as much detail as possible knowing she would get even angrier if she thought that I knew more than her. "Leila, I don't need a doctor to know that they aren't going to let you out of the hospital if you can't eat on your own." That was my last resort. If she didn't listen to that fact, then I would have to try again later. I could see her mind processing what I just said. Both of us didn't want anything more than to leave the hospital and have a normal life again. She barely nodded her head and I reached across the bed, snatching the tray of food before she could change her mind.

"Thank you. What did you want to start with? Or I could go find something else for you." Even before I finished that last sentence she decided on the cereal. I watched her eat about half a serving before she said she needed a break and pushed the tray away. It was then when I fully saw her for the first time. She had dark shadows under her eyes and hollowed cheek bones. The always present sheen was still on her forehead letting me know that her fever was still present. Despite all of this, when I looked at her eyes, I noticed the life and wittiness that had been lost for so long. It was showing brighter than anything else and I would take it despite how the rest of her didn't look so bright. She pushed the blanket off of her all of a sudden. I first thought that she had become hot under it but maybe she was feeling crowded. I swung my legs off of the bed and stood up. I could feel her eyes staring at me without even looking at her yet.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was still calm but I could hear the panic beginning to rise.

"Just giving you some room. I was thinking you were feeling crowded." Her eyes changed to normal and she reached over, her fingertips barely reaching the sleeve of my shirt. She started pulling that one bit of my shirt so I took a few steps towards the bed. As soon as she could reach she grabbed my wrist and bottom of my shirt at the same time pulling me back to sit on the edge of the bed. I heard her gasp and looked down at the now present two inch rip on the side of my shirt.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it!" There was a smile forming on both of our faces and I gently pushed her fingers away to feel the rip myself while noticing her giggling next to me.

"Are you sure that wasn't there before?" I joked with her. She thought she looked like a mess after being sick but I was definitely not looking good either with my soot covered skin and torn clothing. There was a mirror on the opposite wall of the bed and I stood up and walked over to see myself better. I couldn't believe people had let me walk around like this. That reminded me that I should probably find Vicky, Sterling and whoever else had accompanied me last night.

"I'm pretty sure when the doctor sees you awake she's going to run more tests on you." She nodded her head. I was pretty sure she was accustomed to the poking and prodding of the nurses and doctors everyday.

"Did she say what kind?" She wanted to know.

"Thinking and memory tests. They aren't sure if the virus has given you brain damage, even in ways we didn't know it could." Someone behind the door gave a sharp couple of knocks and then entered. Doctor Achres entering the room first followed by a whole team of specialized nurses and doctors entering after her. I went to sit back on the edge of Leila's bed where we were both the most comfortable.

"Hello Leila! How do you feel this morning?" She asked with such kindness. She walked over to the window and opened up the curtains, letting some sun into the room.

"Same old, same old." Leila told her. The doctor nodded her head.

"That's better than being worse." She told the both of us. "The extra blood tests we took yesterday will be in later this morning. The MRI scans taken of your brain show areas where it has been thinned out. By thinned out we're talking maybe a quarter of a centimeter. It isn't enough to affect any functions of your body, but since the brain stores memories in many parts of the brain, we need to make sure your thinking ability and memory are still intact, or if they're affected, we need to make sure it is very minimal and doesn't change. The test is easy so don't sweat it." She joked with Leila. "But Sean does need to be out of the room so we can make sure the results are accurate." Of course I had to leave. I knew I would stay right outside of her room the whole time, but I needed to make sure Leila knew that also. I turned around and looked at her.

"I'll sit right outside the door and I'll come right back in when I'm allowed." I hoped she would accept it. She didn't need to spend all of her energy on protesting something she couldn't change.

"It'll be about a half-hour." Doctor Achres added. Everyone was looking at Leila waiting for a response. She raised her eyebrows like she always did when she was angry.

"It's not like I can do anything about it." She grumbled. I leaned across the bed and kissed her hard. I could feel pain in my chest like I had when I was separated from her. She didn't look too upset when I turned and left but I knew better. I only knew she was angry and nervous because I had been around her for so long. I closed the door quickly so I didn't drag out our separation. I would only be twenty feet away from her for a few minutes. I knew she could handle it, but I hoped I could also.


	6. Chapter 6

I was sitting against the door to Leila's room for about three minutes when I heard someone call my name. I looked up to see Vicky coming down the hallway to meet me. She was carrying two bags filled with a ton of supplies. I stood as she finally met me and took one of the bags from her hands.

"Hey." She started. "How is she?"

"Better than the last time I saw her. The doctors are figuring it out somehow. She's still really sick and they aren't sure if there are going to be long term effects or not. There testing her for that now." Vicky nodded and waited for me to finish before explaining her extra supplies.

"I figured that since everything has settled, you would want to change clothes and wash up. Simon lent you some of his clean clothes and Leila can use some of mine. Does she have a shower in her room?" I racked my brain. I couldn't even remember taking a look around the room during the time I was in there.

"Uh, I think so. Maybe…" She rolled her eyes and gave me the other bag as well.

"Okay, well I'll leave that for you to figure out. Sterling handed me this bag when I was leaving. I think there's food at the bottom but there's mostly toiletries on top. Do you think you need anything else? I figured you'll be staying here for a while."

"No, but this is amazing. Thank you. Yeah, she's definitely upset that she hasn't taken a shower in a long time."

"Again, I'll let you figure that one out. Oh and here's a phone. I think it's from Sterling but I'm not sure. Everyone's numbers are in it already if you need something, but I don't think anyone is staying close by. Since Sophia's been taken down Sterling and Simon went back to D.C. to aid in questioning the aliens. It's pretty safe to say that nothing will happen with them for a while. Sterling has his job back because President Martinez is back. I'm leaving after I'm done here to go check in with my family. I hope I actually get to spend time with Adam this time." I smiled when she said that.

"Tell him I said "hi". Even though he probably doesn't know who I am."

"I think he will. It would take a lot for him to forget the one person who has ever taken his picture." She joked with me. I chuckled. "There's one more thing. Leila has a younger sister right? Samantha Buchanan? I don't know where she is but Simon gave me the names of the people that Michael left her and Leila with. Apparently Leila wasn't supposed to meet with the rest of the aliens at one point, but she left the house she was in and followed Michael to a meeting. The names are in your phone, but I would hope Leila can remember the general vicinity that the house is located in. Samantha isn't technically in danger so it isn't necessary to go and find her now, but I'm sure she wants to be with her sister." I processed what she just said in my head for a moment. It would be great if Leila could tell me where to find her sister. That would mean less time spent looking and more time getting back to normal.

"Listen, Vicky. I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. I'm pretty sure I would have died multiple times if you didn't have my back. I know I've been a pain in the ass the whole time but you also didn't have to stay with me either. I definitely owe you." She gave me a small smile.

"Don't mention it. It's my job. I hope she gets better Sean. I can already tell a difference between the Sean I saw last night and the Sean I see now. Tell her that too. She'll want to hear it." I put the bags down on the ground and gave her a quick hug.

"I will. Don't go too far. You don't know when I'll need to be saved again." I told her. She rolled her eyes one more time and then turned around walking towards the elevator. Once the door to the elevator closed I glanced at my watch to see how much longer I would have to wait to see Leila again. It had only been about twenty minutes so I settled down to wait the rest out. I was tempted to search the bag and see what food we had to eat, but I then thought of how Leila deserved to have first choice if it meant that she would eat something substantial and I let the thought of food go. I opened the phone that Vicky gave me and searched it a little until I found a text message with the names of the people who were keeping Samantha.

Jon and Carla Hamilton

I had no idea if they were aliens or not, but I had a strong suspicion that if Michael trusted them with his children, than they would either know just as much as Michael or had known very little but trusted him anyway. Either way it could be an interesting adventure. Leila's door opened and all of the medical staff walked out with Doctor Achres leaving last. She turned and looked at me.

"Sean. Leila wants you of course." She told me.

"How did the test go? Did she pass?" I was impatient enough to be annoyed that she didn't start by telling me what I wanted to know.

"She passed with flying colors. So far there is no damage to her brain. We will test her every few days. If her results stay the same and we find a way to bring her fever down and weight up, she'll be able to leave in about a week. We have to keep monitoring her heart as well, but the strain isn't as hard on her heart as it is on her brain." I exhaled maybe a bit too loudly. Doctor Achres smiled at me. "I do want to discuss the arrangements for visiting hours at the hospital however. Obviously Leila's situation is very different from most and I understand that. I'll allow you to come and go as you please but you need to have this badge with you to allow that to happen. I don't alert every single person in the hospital when someone is allowed to visit at off hours so people will stop you until they get to know you. I'll let you stay with her, but it is strictly against protocol to allow you to sleep next to her every night. I'll see if we can find a cot that is not being used but if not, you might have to be creative. I can't let you sleep next to her because of the size of the bed and the risk that her IV could be pulled out." I knew she was breaking a lot of rules by letting me stay, but it would be so hard to not be able to hold Leila when she needed to be held.

"Thank you. I know you went through a lot to allow this to happen." She patted me on the shoulder and then began discussing lab results with her team. I took that as the cue to go back into Leila's room with the bags.

She was lying down with her eyes closed. I knew testing would tire her out. I placed the bags down next to the bed and pulled the chair in the room next to the bed. I was determined to get as close to her as I could without breaking the rules. I folded my arms on the bed and laid my head down resting it on my hands, my temple touching her legs underneath the blanket. The feeling of something touching her made Leila open her eyes slightly to make sure it was me. Her left arm extended down to where my head was at her side. Her eyes closed again but she put her hand on the top of my head and played with my hair for a minute before finally resting it there as she slept. I lifted my head off of the bed and caught her arm before it fell against the bed. She slept for three hours and during that time I told her I loved her countless times and the amount of times I kissed her hand was the same amount.


	7. Chapter 7

During the following week I rarely left Leila's room even though she was feeling annoyed and bad for me at times. I was obsessed with making sure she was comfortable and that she had enough to eat. Leila understood that I only was trying to help her get better, but I might have gone a little overboard when I told her I wasn't eating everyday until she had eaten a full meal. We both agreed to be thankful for Vicky bringing us the food bag. Leila had been picking at hospital food for about a month and I couldn't remember the last thing I had eaten before I opened the bag and looked at its contents. Leila was even able to take a shower at one point making her happier than I had seen her in days.

Because I was so determined, and because it made Leila determined as well, she was ready to go home on schedule. The hospital allowed it only because I had lied to them and told them that I would bring Leila home immediately after she was released and she would be on bed rest for a few days. The truth was that we didn't have a home nearby to go to, and finding Samantha was next on our list. I was convinced that Leila would regain her strength when she was able to leave the hospital and was not under constant watch by people she didn't know. Now we were waiting for Doctor Achres to come in for one last check-up and for me to sign the release forms before taking her home.

We had talked about Samantha the day Vicky gave me the names on the phone I carried. She wasn't positive about the names but she knew exactly where the house was that held her sister and wanted to go there as soon as she was released.

_"Leila I know this isn't what you need to think about right now, but we have to start planning what we're going to do once we find Sam." I hoped we were on the same page with what our future now looked like, but I wasn't sure. _

_ "I can't give her away Sean. I'm all she has now. I can't even imagine how upset she'll be once we tell her what has happened to Dad. I still think she doesn't know about Mom." She wiped some tears from her cheeks and I held onto her hand giving it a little squeeze. _

_ "I know, I know. Trust me; I'll never let that happen to her. Or you. Or me too. She's my little sister too you know." She smiled and leaned in to kiss me. Making her happy was my number one goal in my life, but it wasn't the only reason why I would protect Sam and make sure she was safe with us. I felt like she and I were connected in a way. When my parents divorced I lost my mom and was forced to live with my dad. When I was a teenager he turned his back on me and I was alone just like Sam is now. I never had an older sibling or relative to turn to as a last resort like Sam had Leila. I would make sure at all costs to reunite with Sam and never take Leila away from her. The little girl deserved a good life after what she had been through._

I was playing around with the cell phone I had, trying to connect to the internet, when Doctor Achres came in to look at Leila.

"Your final blood tests are still clear. The only thing I'm concerned with is your weakness and your weight. From when you came into the hospital a little over a month ago, to a week ago, you had lost fifteen pounds. You gained back four pounds in the last week from just eating a barely substantial diet. Although this is against protocol, I think if you go home, rest in bed a little longer, and eat food that actually has flavor, you'll be able to gain back your weight. Leila, you're stubborn, but Sean puts up a fight too. I'll trust him to take good care of you." Leila rolled her eyes and I laughed. She was tired of being taken care of, and being ordered by a doctor to go home and be taken care of again made her madder.

"Let me just take your vitals and have you sign some papers and you'll be out of here. I trust you have insurance?" I was afraid of this for a long time. When Leila was sleeping it gave me a ton of time to think during the day about the little things; like how to pay for her medical care when neither of us had insurance yet. Just that one little obstacle made me hyperventilate about our future and how unprepared I was to take care of myself, let alone Leila and Sam. Vicky came through for me once again however. Three days after she had left I got a text message on my new cell phone from her. She forgot to let me know that Sterling had set both Leila and I up for medical insurance and the paper work was in one of the bags. I didn't tell Leila about this yet, but she would find out sometime.

"Yes, right here." I answered. Leila raised her eyebrows at me while the doctor looked over the papers.

"Okay, I'll be right back." She left swiftly and I prepared myself for Leila's questions.

"How do you have insurance? Where did you get it from?" she was close to yelling. I was positive she thought I was lying about the information. Once we had Samantha, she made it clear to me that she wanted to put the past events behind us and start our life again. Clearly, if I had actually lied about the insurance, there would still be problems haunting us after our new start.

"Please don't worry; it's just one more favor from Sterling. I swear it's real. I had forgotten about it until she asked for it now. I'm sorry." Her face relaxed when she heard me speak, but as soon as she calmed down, she was serious again.

"Sean, I don't want to say this the wrong way, because I trust you with everything you choose to do." I wasn't sure if I should be happy about what she was saying, or nervous. "But I think, for at least a while until our lives are normal again, you need to tell me about everything you know and everything you do relating to legal stuff involving us. If we're on the same page, we'll be able to work through things better and stand up for ourselves better too."

"Absolutely. The last thing I want to do is keep secrets from you. I truly had forgotten about the insurance information…" A light bulb turned on in her mind.

"Oh! Sean, I…" I cut her off.

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it because I still haven't told you everything I know. I'm waiting until we're out of here though." I gave her a small smile. She looked upset that she had jumped to the conclusion that I didn't want her to know about it rather than that I had forgotten. Before I could assure her again, Doctor Achres came into the room once more carrying a few papers in her hand.

"Okay, the insurance went through but you do have one hundred dollar co-pay. Sean, since you technically are signing Leila out of the hospital, I need your signature on these papers before you leave. Leila you will have to be wheeled out in a chair. It's another protocol thing." She smiled at Leila, hoping she wouldn't get too much attitude from her. Leila just nodded knowing that she gave the doctor enough grief. I signed the papers quickly and pulled my wallet out giving the doctor a hundred dollar bill before standing up. Both Leila and I bid the doctor good-bye, thanking her one last time, and I grabbed all of our belongings waiting for Leila to get out of the bed and into the wheelchair. She was being helped by one of the nurses on the floor.

It was crazy how good it felt being out of the hospital door and into the fresh air. As soon as Leila took a deep breath of the air, I could see her eyes looking bright again and her cheeks gained some color.

Yeah, this is exactly what we both needed.


	8. Chapter 8

I had called the taxi company ahead before we left the hospital and was glad to see that the taxi was pulled up in front of the entrance waiting for us. I threw our stuff into the back of the car and ran around the side to climb in where Leila was already waiting. I made sure all of the doors were closed to the car before I told the driver where we were going.

"We need to go to BWI Airport." The driver nodded and started driving. It would take about fifteen minutes to get there, and then we were finally on our own to find Sam. I held Leila's hand the whole drive. It felt more natural to do that than to even breathe.

Three hours later, we were on a plane to Georgia, where Leila said Sam was supposed to be. Of course, we both were worried that the people who were holding her could have moved or gone into hiding. We didn't know if they were aliens or not but I was pretty sure they were. Who else would know Michael Buchanan and take in two of his children under last minute notice? It was the only thing that made sense. Leila had repeated where she thought the house was over and over to me. It was really only ten minutes away from her old home so I decided to start from there and let her lead the way.

"Sean." Leila broke me out of my thoughts. "What happened with Sophia? And everyone else too?" Of course, I again forgot to bring this up with her.

"Oh, well, after I left the hospital the day you were admitted, Sterling met me at the entrance to the warehouse telling me the news that Sophia had vanished from being held in Washington D.C. It wasn't like she escaped. They checked the security cameras and she was never shown in any of them during the time she was missing. She was just gone. Only minutes after Sterling told me this, a war began between Sophia's side and us. It was interesting because the fighting was subdued enough that the rest of the world outside had no idea a war was happening. Really there were only two times that people were fighting against other people. After that first fight that was called a draw, hundreds of people from Sophia's side came to our side waving the white flag. They gave up and wanted no more part in the genocide. Some said they would rather die.

It was quiet for a while, and we knew Sophia was rearranging her weapons and allies because of her loss. She had her technology still, but we had the numbers of people and inside information. That was the reason for finally taking her down. One morning, those of us who were in the warehouse that we had taken over heard that there was a standoff between the two sides. We were basically put on lockdown for a full day. We couldn't communicate or research anything, and it was a very long day. I wasn't directly involved, and I don't know anyone who actually was, so I don't know how it happened, but after 24 hours Sophia surrendered and was put on maximum security watch back in D.C.. I have a feeling her death sentence will be put in place soon. Even if she is dead though that doesn't mean that someone else can't continue what she started. That's why we're still a little on edge about the whole situation. But for right now, nothing should be going on. Everyone went back to their regular lives as soon as possible." I gave her a small smile and she thought about what I said for a moment.

"I can't believe how this whole situation has messed up our lives. Like, did you ever think you would have to shoot someone? Let alone the multiples that I know you had to kill to do what you needed to do? I felt bad for having to threaten innocent people, and for stabbing that one doctor when she tried to kill me. A couple days ago I was so angry because I was jealous that 99% of the rest of the world had content, stress free lives, and went about their daily business as usual. I thought I would never get that again. But even when I think about it now, I'm really just happy to be alive, and able to get a re-start on our lives one more time. There were so many times when I thought that tomorrow wouldn't come for me, or it wouldn't come for me with you in it. It feels so good now to have nothing to stress over. We're just going to pick up Sam, and then collapse somewhere for the rest of our lives." She leaned her head on my shoulder and I kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, it's nice to settle down." I didn't have the heart to tell her that finding Samantha was still going to be a big obstacle, especially if we couldn't find the people who had her, or if they were going to fight to keep her.

At 3:30 in the afternoon, our plane landed in the Georgia airport and we wasted no time in renting a car to drive to the Buchanan residence. Or at least what used to be the Buchanan residence. It was a risky choice going somewhere so connected to the alien invasion after such a short time since Sophia had been taken down, but if something happened, we would deal with it as we came across it.

Pulling up to the house, I noticed Leila had become sad, but we couldn't waste time going into the house anyway. She decided to stay in the car while I ran up to the front door, peeking in to see if anything had changed since I had last seen it. It looked pretty much the same inside. All of the lights were off and the curtains were closed. I heard the door to the car open and close behind me and felt Leila's presence next to me a few seconds later while I was still looking inside the house.

"What's wrong? Did you change your mind?" I was a little confused because she seemed adamant about staying in the car a few minutes earlier.

"This is probably the last time we'll be here right?" I nodded. I couldn't think of a reason for why we would come back after we had Samantha.

"I want to see if we can get in. If my parent's things are still in there, I want to see if there's anything sentimental or important in there still. And I'm sure Sam has most of her things in her room that are important to her." She tried opening the front door but it was locked. We walked around the back to where the deck was and tried the sliding door but it was locked as well. Our last hope was the window in the kitchen that was on the first floor and within easy reach. Leila said there wasn't a lock on it and she would be able to crawl in and unlock the deck door for me.

Just like she said, the window was unlocked and with my help she fit through the small space easily. Once she unlocked the other door and let me in, she grabbed my hand and led me to her parent's room first. I could tell she was trying not to focus on what the house actually looked like and she quickly went from room to room until we were inside of the bedroom.

We were lucky that Leila's mom was organized enough to have a box filled with important documents like birth certificates and passports. Instead of looking through the whole box, we placed it by the door starting a pile of what we would take with us. Leila worked quickly, filling another box with pictures, jewelry and other important things. I wasn't much help so I just stood by the door with the pile and kept out of the way so she could focus and grab what she needed. When she felt like she had everything she could think of, we moved onto Samantha's room.

The room was bright pink and very cheerful which contrasted with the current situation. Leila filled one last box with stuffed animals, favorite blankets, toys, books, movies, nail polish and tons of tiny other items from her sister's room. She found a duffel bag in the closet and filled it with as many clothes as she could. I noticed a significant difference between how she picked what to take from her parents room and what to take from Sam's room. While she picked only the most important things from her parents, it was like she was trying to fit Samantha's whole room into one box and one bag. At one point I had to tell her that we wouldn't be able to take everything.

"I know. I just want her to know I tried to take as much of her stuff back to her as I could. She'll be more comfortable when she sees this stuff." I could see Leila getting tired from all of the packing.

"Leila, she'll be the most comfortable when she sees you. Not all of this stuff. Do you think you're ready to get going?" She nodded and took one last look at the room before closing the door behind her. She would only let me carry the two boxes of items because she wanted to carry the duffel bag. I decided not to insist I carry it and instead led the way out of the house that we would be in for the last time. Leila again closed the front door behind her and without another glance at the house, put the duffel bag into the back of the car and sat down in the front seat waiting for me to drive away. She wasn't crying, but I knew she wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. I stepped on the gas and turned around the corner quickly until the house became only a memory.


	9. Chapter 9

Despite the sad departure from her childhood home, Leila turned around and ended up being great at remembering the directions to the house she had taken only once before.

"After the second light up ahead you turn left." I was amazed to hear her voice become strong again only minutes after we had left the house for the last time. I glanced in her direction and could tell how the stress of both leaving the house and gradually getting closer to Sam was taking a toll on her. She was tired of running around and looked like she was on the verge of becoming fully exhausted. She ran a hand through her hair and met her eyes with mine.

"What?" She asked innocently. I shook my head and focused on driving again. I felt so bad for making her stressed out again, even though it wasn't really my fault and we both truly wanted to find Samantha. Maybe she would want to go on a vacation after this. Not to the beach, but rather the mountains maybe? But she didn't have the same energy that she used to as much as we didn't like to think about it. Hiking would tire her out too easily. I would think of a place to take her so she could relax and be happy again.

"Turn again at this stop sign and it should be the second house on the right. Yeah, there it is." It was like she had lost her breath. I assumed the memories from this house had come back to her and it took all of my strength to not overreact at the fact that I knew those memories weren't exactly happy.

"Are you ready?" I asked after a couple of seconds.

"Let's go. I need to see her." She responded while still looking at the front door. Sam was so close.

We opened the car doors and almost crept out. Subconsciously we didn't know how these people would react to seeing Leila again and being as quiet as we could, would only help us out in the end. I knocked on the door quickly, both of us anxious of what lay ahead. It took a few minutes and a couple more knocks before the lock on the door turned and slowly opened to a crack.

"Who are you?" A voice whispered. It seemed as though Leila might have recognized the voice because she answered right away. I only knew it wasn't Sam.

"It's Leila. Leila Buchanan. And Sean Walker." She gripped my hand as she said my name. "I was left here with my sister by my dad a couple of months ago. I ran away but my sister was still left here. Samantha is her name. Are you Carla?" The door started to close slightly and I had lost some hope but then the sound of a chain being released filled the air and the door swung open about a foot more than before.

"Leila? Are you positive? I was told she was dead." The lady whispered the last part and I shook my head right away. Both her and myself needed convincing that Leila was still here and alive. Now I could only see her hands, but I was sure it was the lady named Carla.

"Yes, it's me. I'm not dead. Is Samantha still here?" She was getting tired of the questioning knowing her sister could be right around the corner. After another few seconds of thought, Carla opened the door and beckoned us to come in quickly using her hands but not her voice. That put me on edge as I entered behind Leila, looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was following us.

"Is someone outside? Is there danger here?" My voice was getting louder and I barely registered that I could fully see Carla now. She was short and looked just as tired as Leila did these days. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but she wasn't supposed to take up much of my concern right now. I knew she wasn't being secretive for no reason, and that made me want to grab Sam as fast as possible and get out of there before something could happen.

"I don't think so, at least not for a while. I'm so glad you came back Leila, dear. I know we didn't have much of a relationship when you were here a few months ago, but I remember you when you were a toddler. You were so sweet when you were a little girl." I started tapping my foot and my anger was rising. Leila could sense my impatience and was feeding off of it too. We both knew the only person standing between us and Sam was this lady, but if we wanted to keep control and the sense of calm we would have to be civil to her. There was no use in using force if it would scare her and Sam, wherever she was at this moment. I didn't know what she meant by there wasn't any danger here _now_. Was it coming as we stood here?

"If you don't mind Carla, we're in a big hurry. Is Samantha still here?" The words came out of my mouth quickly but she understood.

"Yes, of course she is. She's upstairs in her room. I was just about to call her down for dinner. Would you like to join us?" Leila was already taking off up the stairs and I was right behind her.

"Sam?" She called out and pushed open the bedroom door at the same time.

Sitting there on the bed, just like I had last seen her months ago was Samantha Buchanan. She almost leaped off the bed and into Leila's arms like lightning.

"Leila!" Her tiny voice was clear as day. Tears were running down both Leila and Sam's face and I walked over to the two of them rubbing Sam's back as Leila rocked back and forth. I recognized how incredibly lucky we were to have Sam sitting in this house still right where Leila left her. She could have easily been transported somewhere else or even killed during the war between the humans and aliens just days ago. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Carla standing there crying as well.

"Mr. Walker, I treated Samantha like she was my own child while she was here. My husband was the same way, but he has a grudge against everyone in her family. That was the danger I was speaking of before. When Leila left, he looked at both Michael and Leila as trash. If he comes home and sees you trying to take her away, he'll kill both you and Leila without question. You need to leave now. He is usually home for dinner anyway." Her face was full of concern and all three of us were stunned for a moment until I woke up and broke into action.

"Come on, let's go. Hurry!" I pretty much pushed both Leila and Sam down the stairs after I noticed Sam grab something off of the nightstand from the room she was staying in. We were out the front door in less than a minute and continuing down the front steps before Leila stopped suddenly and turned around. She looked at me right in the eyes and I almost ran into her, grabbing her arms trying to pull her further down the walk.

"Sean! What about Carla?" I slowed down and finally stopped. "What happens when he sees Sam is gone?" Carla was standing at the front door with more tears coming down her face and waving us along. I went against my better instincts and let go of Leila, letting her run back to Carla.

"Carla! What will happen when your husband finds out that Sam is gone? What will happen to you?" Her voice was breathy and I feared I would have to carry her to the car when we were finished.

"Sweetheart, don't worry about me. Just make sure you and the child are safe. I won't be in any danger." I wasn't positive that was entirely true but Leila seemed to believe it somewhat. Carla kissed the top of Sam's head and whispered something to her, the whole time I was watching to see if any cars were pulling up the driveway. I was holding onto Leila's arm and started tugging her knowing Sam would be following as well. Once again we ran down the stairs, down the walk and into the car in record speed. In the rearview mirror I could see Sam waving to Carla as she got smaller and smaller until she finally was gone from view.


	10. Chapter 10

My heart was racing all the way to the airport and I constantly looked in the rearview mirror switching between looking out for anyone following us and watching Leila hold Sam and reunite with her.

"Are you okay Sam?" I could barely hear my girlfriend's soft voice. She pulled her close and kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tightly.

"Yes. Where are we going?" Sam's voice was still shaky from what had just happened.

"The airport I think." Leila told her. "Right, Sean?" She wanted to know more than where we were going. She wanted to know if we were okay now.

"Yeah, we're going back to Boston." She was looking down at Sam's head and nodded her own. We were so close to the final stretch in our journey. Hopefully by tonight, Leila would be able to sleep safely in her own bed and not have to worry if she would live to see tomorrow. The clock in the car read 6:30 when we finally pulled up to the airport and parked it. I'd call the company that let us borrow the car tomorrow and tell them where it was. I didn't care if they were angry about me not driving it back. I stopped Sam before we could all walk out of the parking lot and bent down in front of her.

"Are you sure you're okay Sam?" I asked her. I took my hand and smoothed her hair just like I had done with Leila countless times before.

"Yes" she nodded her head as she said it. I watched her for a second longer and than accepted that she was okay for now. I pulled her into a tiny hug. We were never close enough before these past few months for me to do that so I could tell she was a little uncomfortable. I stood up after that and pulled Leila in for a hug also. This time the hug I had given was comfortable and familiar. It didn't last long enough, but I had to break away and grab our things. But not before I pulled away I kissed Leila's hair giving me even more comfort and strength to get home. I met her eyes and while they were still exhausted and somewhat glassy, they were warm again like I was sure mine were as well. I grabbed our two bags and two boxes after fighting with Leila on letting me carry them all and led the way into the airport while the two girls followed me closely.

We were lucky enough to have a flight with seats leaving within two hours to Boston. It gave us a little time to find some food and relax after going through check in and security. I myself couldn't wait to be home and go to bed. It felt like it had been years since I had walked into our tiny home and we were so close to it again.

"Are you excited to go home Leila?" I had been holding her hand for a while now and began rubbing her arm with my free hand.

"Yes, of course. I can't wait to be normal again. It's like coming back from an extremely long vacation except having absolutely no fun at all." She had forgotten that this whole experience had actually started when we were on vacation but I didn't bring it up. I would make up the lost vacation with her just like everything else she had lost. It was interesting to think about how I had lost my mom when the divorce happened and than I slowly lost my dad when he neglected me until I left for college, and I leaned on Leila's family for support for as long as I had known her. I envied her family sometimes because of how perfect they seemed and it made me feel even more unworthy of being right for her. Now I at least had parents that were still living. If there was some absolute need to go to one of them for something, I could do that while Leila can never speak to either of her parents again. It re-opened up the fact of how alone the three of us were now.

Leila squeezed my hand as she could see how deep in thought I was about this subject.

"So much is going to be different now." I whispered in her ear so that Sam wouldn't quite hear me. She stiffened a little as if she wasn't thinking about our actual situation and I saw her actually swallow back her tears for her sister's sake. I wondered if she had been able to mourn the loss of her parents yet. My guess was no.

"Yeah, but it makes me think about how grateful I am to still have you next to me." She told me. She was so close to tears and as much as I wanted to pour out my love for her also, I tried to think of a way to change the subject when I heard our flight being called for boarding.

"Come on, we're supposed to board now." Still not letting go of her hand, the three of us got on the plane for the two hour flight home. The seats we had bought weren't supposed to be next to each other but I feared leaving Leila again. I bribed the man who was sitting in the seat next to her to move a few rows down. Sam wanted to sit by the window and we let her without hesitation. I began the countdown to being able to walk into our home and be safe at last.

Sam slept through the entire flight and Leila dozed but never really fell asleep. I couldn't take my eyes off of her and I thought she was beginning to get concerned for my mental state because of the funny way I was staring at her. The fact that she was able to relax enough to close her eyes and take slow, deep breaths while she let my fingers drag up and down her arm giving her goose bumps and making her shiver more than once made me the happiest man in the world.

Those two hours went by so quickly and we rushed off of the plane eager to crash somewhere for once. Poor Sam was so tired and being dragged by Leila and I around the entire airport. She was close to having her first breakdown when Leila made the smart decision of picking her up for the rest of the journey to a taxi. She looked so small in Leila's arms and it reminded me of how she was only seven years old and still a little girl.

The air outside of the airport was chilly in Boston and I was thankful that we were able to grab a taxi quickly.

"8832 Avalon Drive please." The taxi driver waited for us to get settled into the car and took off down the highway. I patted my pocket and thought of how much of a miracle it was that I still had the keys to my own house after everything. I heard Leila laugh a little and I couldn't help but smile when I saw her eyes bright and excited.

"I can't wait. It's been so long!" She looked like a little girl.

"Me too. Only about five more minutes."

Right down to the street we lived on looked exactly the same as always and the anticipation in the cab grew tenfold when we turned onto it. Finally, after so long, the driver stopped the car in front of our house and Leila jumped out with Sam right away while I paid the driver. Only after I was able to pull out all of our belongings could I really see our house for the first time. It was beautiful, like magic, how even though it was so small and really not anyone's idea of a perfect house, it was so perfect at that moment. I felt like Sean Walker again, the man who had just graduated from college and moved in with his serious girlfriend excited about starting a life together.


	11. Chapter 11

It didn't take long for me to carry our belongings to the front door of the house. I gave Leila the key that I still had from my pocket and she clumsily unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping inside. I felt a wave of cool comfort and eagerly reached for the light switch only to find that our power had been turned off.

"Damn it!" I was exasperated. Of course the power would no longer be on. We had been gone for so long and didn't pay the bill in time. At least we were all fed for the night and would go to sleep soon. I would take care of the power in the morning. Sam had grabbed Leila's hand and ran her other hand across the top of our couch. She had never seen our house before and I hated how the first time she was looking around was in this condition. Leila had insisted while we lived here that the entire house be spotless and now it was covered in thin layers of dust from top to bottom.

"Leila, I'm so tired." Sam's small voice filled the room. She had made her way over to the stairs holding her head in her hands while Leila became familiar again with the kitchen. In seconds she was at her sister's side grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the front door where I had left the bags and boxes. She found the one with Samantha's belongings in it and then turned her attention towards myself.

"Sean, I'll take her upstairs to the guest room. She's exhausted." I wanted to smile and tell her that we all were, but I knew the dark wouldn't allow her to see my face. Instead, I stood up off of the couch I had been sitting on and grabbed the bags by the door before following them both up the stairs. I refused to say this to anyone at this point in time, but I was still terrified of having Leila out of my sight for more than a few minutes. Even though I knew exactly where she was going, it would take nearly half an hour before she would come back down to me on the couch and I wouldn't wait that long. She took her sister into the main bathroom and I threw myself on top of my bed, breathing in the familiar smell of it and all of a sudden wanting Leila lying next to me with my arms around her.

Sam was tucked into the guest bedroom down the hall with her blanket and Leila came back into our room stopping in the bathroom for another minute. I closed my eyes and heard her quietly creep out of the bathroom and found her way to the bed, literally throwing herself into my chest with enough force to make me lose my breath for a moment. Her arms wrapped tightly around my frame as mine were around her too making me feel as close as possible to her. Her head turned to her left and I could feel her breath on my neck, slightly forced and uneven. The flow of feelings between the two of us at that point in time was so great, but neither of us wanted to break the rare moment of serenity that was happening now. We lied in that position for a long time. I only broke it because I knew she was falling asleep quickly and that she also wanted to talk before she did.

"Leila?" I heard her murmur below my chin. "I love you." I spoke into her hair.

"And I love you." The answer always lifted me up no matter how low I was feeling. She wiggled her way out of my grip and lifted her eyes to face mine. Her golden hair was tousled now, her eyes looking sleepy but interested.

'We're finally getting to start over." I started. "Our lives are going to be wonderful now. Sam will have a great childhood. No more stress, no more torture."

"Sean, I don't know how I'm going to be able to do it." Her response startled me at best.

"What do you mean?" Her eyes stayed glued to mine and I could make out that they were beginning to water slightly.

"I'm all that Sam has now. I'm so grateful that she's alive and we're together, but how am I going to be her parent? I can't take care of a little girl! I don't have a job, I have no way to pay for her at all. And when you get a job it isn't fair for you to have to pay for her to live with us. And I don't know how to be a mom! She's used to my own mom and dad and I…" She was full on crying now and as much as I never wanted to watch her cry, I knew this was the best thing for her.

"Leila, as much as you take charge of situations, you also worry about situations too much. First of all, yes neither of us have jobs right now, but that's not what is most important in our lives at the moment. I still have enough money in my account for a couple more months of living without working. And if for some reason I don't have a job by then, I can ask my friends, or my dad, or someone to help us. And they will.

Secondly, no one wants you to be Sam's mother. All she needs is an older guardian to keep her safe and keep her on the right track. It's okay if there are mistakes made along the way. The only people that matter are the three of us in this situation and we all will forgive you if you mess up. But if you do mess up, don't think that I'm not going to be right next to you screwing up also. We have to be a team in more ways than one to make this work for us right now. I will never be the person to sit and watch you take care of your sister, or your own kids, or anyone, and not do anything myself. I love you too much to do that.

And lastly Leila, you need to take your own time to mourn the loss of your family and heal before jumping into other things. Sam doesn't even know that her father is dead. And I don't know if she knows her mother is dead too. Both of you need to take a time out and literally just cry. I don't think you realize how weak you are going to be now that you aren't in any danger or under stress. Did you even get to think about your father's death? I know you didn't have enough time to think about your mom's." She shook her head. She was now laying her head on her pillow with her tears still streaming. I lied my head down next to hers and held her hand while she cried into my shoulder. I couldn't imagine how much she was holding in for this amount of time. All she needed to do was cry and she did for a long while. She closed her eyes after her tears had stopped for the night and I gently brushed my fingertips across her eyelids. Only when I was positive she was sleeping did I lean back and try to fall asleep myself.

It was early in the morning when I heard soft talking bringing me out of my slumber. Sam was standing on Leila's side of the bed speaking to her sister and looking very upset.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Leila found my arm with her hand and squeezed it gently before sitting up fully in the bed.

"I want Mommy." Sam shocked us both with that request. Leila seemed to have froze and I wasn't quite sure what to say. I knew this late at night wasn't the best time to tell the little girl about her parents.

"They aren't here Sam." I told her gently. She had started crying and I assumed she had a nightmare in her bedroom down the hall.

"Can I sleep with you?" The question was aimed towards Leila who had become unfrozen with that question.

"Uh…um…" I knew she was thinking of how it would be uncomfortable in more ways than one if all three of us were sleeping in the same bed together.

"Sure Sam. You stay here with Leila and I'll switch beds with you, okay?" Leila found my arm again and I found her eyes assuring her it was okay with me. The little girl was already climbing in next to her sister and I walked around the side of the bed and kissed Leila three times before walking to the other bed in the other room.

Even though none of us knew what was coming next in our lives together, it didn't matter. I was confident in my love for both of them and I knew at the very least Leila loved me and Sam liked me too. I would take that. I already felt like the luckiest man on the planet who fell into the most unlucky situations imaginable.


End file.
